Playing with the different elements and fluids made PixelJunk Shooter a hit last year and using water, lava, steam, ice, and rock in some pretty engaging puzzles was why we were psyched when Q-Games and Sony announced the sequel. PixelJunk Shooter 2 stays true to that formula, but adds in a few new elements to keep things fresh. Say hello to acid and light.

Q-Games had two playable levels of the sequel on the show floor at this year’s E3. The first of which was set in an organic environment that seemed like it was taking place in the belly of some weird and wonderful creature. The cave walls from the first game were replaced by a living environment that contracted and retracted in a fashion that resembled a creature’s breathing. Appropriately, this level was where the acid was introduced – you know, stomach acid and all that. Not only does the purple acid cling to your ship as you move, but it heats up your ship and can lead to it exploding.

In the other level, light became the puzzle piece. Half of the level was situated in darkness while the other half was illuminated and by destroying parts of the rock, you opened up new areas of the level for the light to go. In one section, attaching your grappling hook to a switch and then pulling on it created a window of opportunity that meant you’d have to dash across to get to the next area before that window closed. Lava can also produce necessary light in this level and there’s even a plant that grows a light producing pod. In the shadows though, there’s a whole new challenge and as soon as you enter the dark, new enemies appear on the screen. After about 10-15 seconds in the darkness, they’ll attack and kill you, so it’s essential that you don’t hang around. The only way to stop them, is to make it through the darkness and back into the light.

While the gameplay elements in PJS2 remain the same (collecting diamonds, saving stranded miners and opening new tunnels), the darkness changes things a bit. Yes, you’ll have the ability to see in the dark tunnels thanks to a green outline appearing – think of it like night vision goggles – but being able to pick up miners and diamonds won’t be possible until that section of the tunnel is illuminated. How the dark and light levels will connect to the organic levels is anyone’s guess at the moment, but at its core though, PJS2 remains very much the same game, but with more trickery. The environments and elements have changed, but the graphics and gameplay have not.

This game is challenging enough to keep you coming back, but not too difficult to keep even the most casual of gamers from taking part in it. I can't wait for this new game because the first was a treasure that no PS3 owner should be without.